For hundreds of years children have amused themselves by blowing an air stream through a ring which has been previously dipped in a soapy solution in order to create one or more individual lighter-than-air bubbles.
It is known that the dipping of the ring in such a solution creates a thin film composed of water and surfactant molecules stretched like a membrane on the ring. When a stream of bubbles is formed and detaches from the ring, such bubbles can float in the air for a period of time, which time is a function of temperature gradient, size of bubble, etc.
A major problem, however, with the prior art bubble forming solutions is that they use as their active ingredients substances which are toxic, irritant or non-edible surfactants, such as linear alkyl benzene sulfonates (LABS). These toxic materials which are used in toys for children of early ages (from two years old and upward), often come in contact with the lips of the children who blow bubbles through the wet ring, which they often place adjacent to their lips. There is also contact with the children's facial skin, eyes and hands.
Obviously this close contact with a potentially harmful material is undesirable. Similarly, young children who do not know better are often observed chasing the bubbles which they have created and trying to catch them with their mouths.
An additional potential hazard of such bubble solutions is that very young children, when left unattended with a bottle containing a liquid, are often inclined to try to drink such a liquid, if only out of childish curiosity.
Furthermore, the soapy materials used for bubble-forming solutions are irritants, which often get in the eyes of the children using such solutions.
It has, therefore, become apparent that there exists a need for an improved formulation for a bubble solution for use by small children. It is imperative that such a formulation be in accordance with the food regulations of the U.S. (F.D.A. regulations for permitted materials in the food industry) and of other countries, otherwise it would not be possible to put such a product on the market as an edible bubble solution.